You slave away on your content, whether for yourself or a client, only to find an error after it’s published. Or, you see a typo in a query letter after you hit send. Then you spend the rest of the day praying the editor doesn’t notice. Sound familiar? Not anymore. With these top proofreading tips […]
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3 Amazing Ways to Create a Story Hook for Your Articles
Have you ever started reading a story in the newspaper or a magazine and turned the page after the first paragraph? I have. But wait a minute. Why did you do that? After all, the headline captured your attention, right? Yes, but unfortunately, the writer failed to create a story hook to keep you reading. […]
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Need Story Ideas? 2 Quick Ways to Reslant 1 Idea into Many
Have you ever picked up a magazine, noted the cover story, and asked, “Why didn’t I think of that?” That happened to me once on the walk back from my mailbox. Seriously, my husband is a mattress professional so we get Sleep Savvy magazine each month. I read it regularly and have yet to pitch […]
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Check the Changes Your Editor Makes
This is one of my best tips, ya’ll. And I’m giving it to you for FREE! What makes this one of my best tips? If you do what I’m going to share with you here, you will build a great working relationship with your editors so that they want you to write for them. […]
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Do You Know Your Reader?
One of the main reasons I reject story pitches I receive as editor of a regional lifestyle publication is that the story would not interest our readers. The clue is in the word regional. Our magazine covers a certain region of the country. I regularly receive pitches for articles about places to go and people […]
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Are Your Stories Alive?
Are your stories alive? Or are they boring narratives that no one wants to read? Here is an example: BORING The head chef said that the best way to get paper-thin slices of tomato is to use a sharp knife or a mandoline. ALIVE “Your knife must be sharp,” said the head chef as […]
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Palette vs Palate
I was reading a Facebook post on one of my favorite magazine’s news feed. In that post, they used the word palate. When I read that word, I was reminded of a story that I wrote for the same publication using the word palette. The fact that palette and palate are two entirely different things, […]
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